Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura

Puerto del Rosario is the capital of Fuerteventura, and has around 40,000 inhabitants. It is based around a port that has grown from its
humble origins as the Puerto del Cabras (port of the goats) into a busy working port that continues to develop with plans for a marina,an extended cruise ship dock and general improvements..

Until recently, little of the activity in the capital of Fuerteventura was based on tourism, but this is slowly changing as the Cabildo and
other governmental bodies are actively seeking to raise the capitals profile in terms of tourism. A new tourism office, in the form of a kiosk, has been opened on the "promenade", close to the harbour. The entire sea front in Puerto del Rosario has been developed and improved, and the two beaches in the town have been developed and amplified.

Puerto del Rosario is easily visited from other parts of the island as buses run to Puerto del Rosario from all the major towns on Fuerteventura. A bus journey to Puerto del Rosario to Caleta de Fuste takes around 20 minutes and to Corralejo about 40, with
services to and from both, every half an hour. The bus station was opened in 2008, and from there you can get a bus all around the island.

If you are considering a shopping trip it is worth bearing in mind that lots of the shops close for the siesta. However, the Las Rotundas Shopping Centre is open from 10am - 10 pm from Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday). It is located on the south side of the town next to the main road which links Puerto del Rosario and the airport.
The main entrance is next to the Sundial roundabout. The shopping centre 2 levels of underground car parking (free parking), and 4
floors of commercial businesses with around 100 units There is a large supermarket, with shops of adult fashion, children´s fashion, shoes, jewellers, beauty, leisure and sports, electrical and mobile
phones etc. There are small cafes and restaurants too, and a Burger King on the top floor. There is a free bus to the Centre from Caleta de Fuste on Tuesday mornings, and from Corralejo on Thursday mornings. It picks up at a selected number of apartment complexes and
hotels.

The main public buildings and church are located around the pedestrianised Primero de Mayo street, which is becoming increasingly
popular as there are street cafes there.

Puerto del Rosario has its own beaches. The larger one is to be found to the south of the capita at Playa Blancal. Work has been carried out on the beach over the last few years and it now has Blue Flag status. The waves are good, and the beach is used by some of Fuerteventura's surf schools, but there are signs warning of strong currents, so care is needed when bathing here. During the summer months the flag system operates and these should be heeded. The in town beach is the small, but popular, Playa Chica which has good facilities and special disabled access.

An increasing number of cruise ships are stopping in the capital on Canary Islands tours during the Winter months.

Puerto del Rosario is a good place to practise speaking Spanish and allows an insight into the daily life of Fuerteventurans, or at least those that live in this "city". The Fuerteventuran accent is quite different to the standard Spanish that is used on language course tapes, but if you
are talking about food and cerveza, it is not too difficult to follow.

One interesting feature of the capital is the statues that are to be found around the town. These form part of an open air exhibition and many have been produced during competitions that are held in the capital. A booklet, Puerto del Rosario on Foot, is available at the tourist office, and gives a guided route around the town.

Carnival time is important to the residents of Puerto del Rosario and the
spring celebrations are held in mid February.